How That ‘Free’ Flight Cost Me $1,400

Your fav airline offers a free flight just for getting their credit card. What’s the catch? There could be many. The hidden dangers of airline credit cards.

It’s easy to love free things, and of all the freebies that tempt us, none make a wandering spirit more weak in the knees than the promise of free airfare.

It’s about a million degrees below zero in Chicago for the third straight week, and I’d love nothing more that to hop on a jet, head to L.A., and leave the $500 airfare behind at the gate.

So over the years I’ve accumulated several frequent-flyer miles rewards credit cards, and yes, I’ve racked up quite a few free flights. But with 2014, I promised to clean house financially like never before. First, my wife and I paid off a mass of credit cards in one fell swoop—we couldn’t kill them all, but we decided to start with the cards that had the highest interest rates.

Before I hit “confirm” on the payment that wiped them out, I took a long, hard look at how much I paid in interest on just one card last year:

$2,696.29!

Now, adding $95 in annual fees for the card, that comes to just a few dollars shy of $2,800. And in 2013, I earned enough in frequent flyer miles to take two “free” flights—that is, free if you overlook the $75 “close in” booking fees I paid both times.

I suspect I’m not the only one in this post-Recession environment who’s fallen into this trap of my own devising. And so I’ll declare it here, with my own numbers to back it up: If you carry balances on your credit card for more than the occasional month or two, frequent flyer credit cards are simply a ripoff—and the enticement of free air travel masks mighty unfavorable APR terms and annual fees.

This also brings up a larger and definitely related issue: Frequent flyer miles ain’t what they used to be, kids.

In November, United angered whatever loyal customers they have left by jacking up its frequent flyer award levels. In some case, the thresholds for international free travel shot up more than 60 percent. But even for more modest destinations such as Hawaii, it will take you about 13 percent more miles to get the same award. The changes go into effect Feb. 1, and you can view the old and new award levels by clicking on the respective links in this sentence.

“The beauty of airline credit cards is banking valuable miles and scoring money-saving perks like free checked bags and priority boarding,” Kelly says. “If you can maximize those benefits, it can more than make up for the annual fee. However, it’s critical that you pay your cards off in full each month because in general their APRs tend to be higher than non-airline and non-rewards cards.”

I enjoy Kelly’s columns; he dispenses savvy advice on how to collect enough hotel points, airline miles and the like to make you a most happy traveler. And he’s right. But one phrase in his response puzzled me: “in general.”

“For some, the $450 annual fees on the Citi Executive AAdvantage World MasterCard and Delta Reserve cards are way too high,” Kelly says. “But those looking for the club access and the ability to earn elite-qualifying miles, paying that premium can be worth it.”

That said, the high-APR question is likely not to go away where airline credit cards are concerned. “Even if you get 10 cents back for each mile you redeem—and you’d have to find some truly high-priced international premium tickets to get a return like that—if you carry a balance and pay 19 percent APR, you’re literally losing half your value,” he says.

Meanwhile, consider this trick that I tried recently with another creditor, a Barclay’s MasterCard that earns miles on US Airways. For this to work (and it’s a toss up whether it will), you should be in a position to pay off the credit card balance immediately. That’s your leverage.

My US Airways card carries an astonishing APR of 18.24 percent. So I called customer service, asked for a manager, and told her that the APR was simply too high, airline card or no. If she couldn’t lower my APR on the spot, I’d pay off the balance, close the account and Barclay’s would lose me as a customer permanently.

It took them about 90 seconds to shift my balance at a new rate of about 14 percent. That’s going to save me a lot of money in interest payments over 2014, should I carry a balance. Then again, I’ll save the most money if I can simply pay off the balance and stop paying interest charges.

Will I keep my airline credit cards? Perhaps, if I can figure out a system for paying off the balances at the end of every month before interest accrues.

But I also know myself. And the temptation in a lean month to let one balance slide, then another, then another, is the financial equivalent of boarding a flight for the heart of the Bermuda Triangle at the height of hurricane season.

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Based in Chicago, Lou Carlozo is a personal finance contributor for Reuters Money, a columnist with DealNews.com, and a former managing editor at AOL's WalletPop.com. Contact him with story ideas for Money Under 30 at feedbacker@aol.com, or follow him via LinkedIn and Twitter (@LouCarlozo63).

Comments

Appreciate the honesty. I finally got out of airline cc debt 3 yrs ago and haven’t gone down that painful road since. High taxes on business class award tickets is a real killer (e.g. Miles & More int’l flight I recently priced on BRU would cost me $1,000 in business and $670 in economy). Why I ever saved up Miles & More miles I’ll never know.

Let’s be honest, if you are carrying balances on credit cards (no matter what the APR) you are so far away from being able to come out ahead on rewards perks this analysis is irrelevant. It is shocking to me that someone giving out financial advise could admit to carrying credit card debt from month to month. Carrying credit card debt is a sign of living beyond your means and you should focus on cutting costs not on luxury rewards travel. I would suggest reading mr money mustache for personal finance advice or the points guy for travel but not this.

You’re right; anyone in credit card debt should be focused on living below their means and not earning points. That’s why we publish articles like this, because many of us need gentle reminders that so-called ‘deals’ from the mouths of marketers aren’t deals at all if you’re paying credit card interest.

In a recent study we commissioned (full results in a few weeks), 42% of adults under 30 carry credit card debt with an average balance of $2,700.

If you’ve been fortunate enough to never carry credit card debt, count your blessings instead of lashing out at others for not being in the same boat.

Avoiding credit card debt altogether is often no small thanks to an upbringing that was privileged enough to at least instill some financial values in you. Many do not get that. Others hit hard times and must choose between credit card debt and keeping the lights on. Others simply mess up because — let’s face it — easy credit is plentiful and tempting in the United States.

So when we, as financial bloggers and contributors tell these people “you are so far away from [insert financial goal here]” we alienate the people who need our help most.

This site may not be for you; it’s for everybody else who’s tired of being judged because they once got into credit card debt or went to a private school or majored in liberal arts or like cars and sometimes buy them new [God forbid] even though they know it’s a losing financial play. Living cheaply, saving huge amounts, and retiring early are all noble goals, but you shouldn’t be written off if you aren’t doing all three. Everybody’s goals are different. Personal finance is personal. Money Under 30 is committed to affirming that notion and giving advice relevant to people in as many stages of life (and financial know-how) as possible.

This is one of the most realistic pieces l have read. Thanks for the honesty . What l do know is that credit card companies do not give anything away just for the heck of it. It has to benefit them in some way. There are so many blogs pushing these travel hacking cards. Most people seek out blogs to help them manage money, pay down debt etc. it kind of sucks to then say, charge it all on this card, and you can go on amazing vacations for free or for very little. It’s like telling a shopaholic to get a credit card, spend on it, oh..but pay it all at the end of the month, when most live paycheck to paycheck..before you know it, one slipup and you are deep in debt. The trip might be free, the hotel room might even be free, but what about the tips, the shopping, the food etc. it is not for everyone. I hope anyone who is serious about saving money thinks twice before doing it. Perhaps if you are trying to catch up and grow your money, Bali is not for you right now.

Good for you telling this story. I know a lot of people say “I use this card for XYZ perk” but continue to carry a balance.
Rewards programs only make sense when you pay off your balance every month.
And once you get to that point, the rewards can be very REWARDING. I made $2,710 in rewards back in 2010. No interest paid.

I just found the title of this misleading. The free flight cost you because of mistakes by the user of the card not the credit card or anyone else, other than that if one plays by the rules reward cards can get you ahead wether it’s free flights, miles, upgrades, gift cards, cash back etc.

But yes your right, even though I have never fallen into carrying a credit card balance. I know many who have, and they believe they are earning rewards points or miles. When in reality the interest charges negate all reward earnings and then some.

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